Restaurant Menu

Comments

It is so true that good things often do come in small packages, or, as with the case of Romesco Baja Med Bistro in Bonita, they come on small plates and as tapas. The first thing on the menu that captured my attention and started my mouth watering was the pumpkin soup, which ironically we didn’t end up ordering only because we couldn’t eat another bite after sampling all of the tasty tapas. Next time I’ll order the soup first. Romesco’s interior makes you feel as though you’ve been abducted and brought to an undisclosed location in Europe inhabited entirely by handsome waiters. Our waiter was very helpful, patient and attentive. We selected four items from the tapas/small plates menu and later ordered the caprese salad. The caprese would have been great if the tomatoes had been sweet and ripe, which they weren’t. Finding good tomatoes in San Diego is often a chore. The first plate that was brought out, and each plate is served on a different, adorable little ceramic bowl or dish, contained two huitlacoche filled empanadas and a ramekin of bright red/orange colored garlicky, pepper sauce, the romesco sauce for which the restaurant is named. I had heard of this corn fungus before and I was curious to try it. It’s a good thing that the Spanish word “huitlacoche” is listed on the menu rather than it’s more unpleasant sounding English translation “corn smut”. It was good, mild and earthy and slightly sweet; the spicy romesco sauce was a terrific complement. While I was still noshing on the smutty turnover, the next plate arrived with tuna served atop a tiny corn tortilla stacked over dressed, fresh greens, sprinkled with Cotija cheese. It was a very pretty display and my friend enjoyed it a lot. Next came a dish of plump, succulent mushrooms sautéed in a delicate garlic, white wine and herb sauce. The sauce was so delicious that I mopped up what was left of it with a piece of the fresh bread, which is served with every meal, after I (ahem, we) had consumed all of the mushrooms. I thought this tapa would be equally wonderful as an entrée ladled over a plate of linguini. Our fourth small plate for the evening was a dish called fondue de rajas which is simply jack cheese, with mild green chilies chopped into it. The plate is put into a hot oven until the cheese is melty and bubbling. To eat it, you scoop it directly from the plate with the tiny corn tortillas that are served with it. This is about as close to food Nirvana as I’ve ever come. I had this dish only one other time, at a long defunct restaurant that used to be in Mission Valley called El Tecolote that specialized in cuisine from Mexico City. I’ve longed for it ever since. We finished off our meal with flan that was sitting on a swizzle of caramel sauce, imbedded with bunelo sticks and garnished with strawberries, which were listed as raspberries on the menu, but that was ok. Berries is berries and it’s all good.